Eric Knowles was born in Suitland, Md., where he lived until age 13 before moving to Churchton. He now lives in Annapolis.

Knowles has studied at Anne Arundel Community College and Frederick Community College, but has not earned a degree.

Knowles served as an electrical environmentalist for the United States Air Force from 1997 to 2001. He currently works as a bartender at the restaurant Chop House in Annapolis.

He ran unsuccessfully for governor of Maryland as a member of the Constitution Party in 2010.

Knowles is single and has a daughter.

Eric Knowles, an Annapolis Republican, is challenging incumbent Rep. John Sarbanes, a Democrat from Towson, for Maryland's 3rd District U.S. House seat.

Knowles is a U.S. Air Force veteran and bartender who said he is running to restore civil liberties to Americans.

"I want to return the power of people to have control over their own lives," Knowles said in an April 2012 interview.

Knowles edged out three other relatively unknown Republican competitors to win Maryland's April 2012 Republican primary with 33 percent of the vote.

Civil liberties, economic freedom and foreign policy are among Knowles' top campaign issues and items he says he will work on if elected to Congress.

"I think that our liberties are what defines us as Americans and what makes us safe first and foremost," Knowles said. "And I think if we don't have those, all the rest of the stuff is pretty inconsequential."

Knowles said he would also like to take the power to regulate currency away from the Federal Reserve and instead give those responsibilities to Congress.

"I want our congressmen and women to be held accountable when things go wrong as they have," he said.

Knowles also said that if elected he would work to improve illegal immigration rates by decreasing federal services that he said encourage people to move to the United States illegally.